Physical activity an investment in a ‘brighter’ future for your kids

Interesting news from the Yorkshire Post where a recent study from King’s College, London shows that starting regular, intensive exercise as a child will have a strong impact on later-life mental health.

It’s pretty common knowledge now that exercise can help to prevent illnesses like cancer and heart disease. We know, too, that regular activity acts as a positive mood booster, lowering levels of anxiety and depression.

What’s unique to this study is the discovery that physical activity has a direct impact on brain functions like memory, learning, attention, and reasoning. Functions that tend to decline as we get older, making it harder for us to be independent as we age.

Those who showed the best brain function as older adults were those who’d been doing intensive physical activity since they were kids. To see similar benefits, 150 minutes of activity a week is recommended. That breaks down to 30 minutes of exercise five days a week or 50 minutes three times a week.

Don’t get down if this seems like a big commitment, particularly if you’re just starting to be more active with your kids. Dr. Ian Campbell, government advisor and founder of the National Obesity Forum, says, “Yes, 30 minutes five times a week is the ideal, but any regular activity will improve mental function, and reduce the risk of mental decline.”

How many minutes of physical activity do your kids get in a week? What could you do to increase that time?

Active for Life is the place where parents go to learn about activities for kids. Physical education leads to physical literacy, which is critical for child development. Physical literacy also gives active kids the best chance to someday compete in high-performance sport. Kids activities are organized here by age and gender, so parents can find fun and engaging ways of making sure their children get the recommended daily amount of physical activity. Activities for toddlers are aimed at the development of fundamental movement skills, while activities for children build on the fundamentals to establish more complex sport skills that can be used to play any number of sports and activities. Exercises for kids enhance their physical development. In the early stages of child growth, early childhood development is dependent on appropriate exercises for children. Because kids play is good for kids health.